Firefighters

Anne Hutchings, a former elementary-school teacher-librarian with the
Durham Board of Education, is an educational consultant.

In Firefighters the action begins when a blaze breaks out. The fire
department gets the call and the dispatcher alerts the nearest fire
station. Details such as firefighting equipment, the various jobs and
duties of firefighters, what happens after the fire is out, special
challenges of fighting fires in rural areas, and even the requirements
for being a firefighter are all included. Special sections are devoted
to fire prevention, as well as being well-prepared and -trained in the
event of a real fire.

Postal Workers chronicles the journey of a very special birthday card
from the time Gordon (who lives in Newfoundland) drops it in a mailbox
until it reaches his grandma in Portland, Oregon, three days later. From
the driver who collects the mail, to the sorters (machine and human), to
the trucks and planes that carry the mail, to the letter carrier who
delivers it, all of the steps and responsibilities of the workers
involved are discussed. Postal and zip codes are explained and the
proper way to address an envelope, complete with return address, is
shown.

These new volumes in the Kids Can Read series will be welcome and
valuable resources for classrooms and libraries to support the community
helpers section of the primary environmental studies curriculum. In
addition, they would be an excellent introduction to non-fiction books
for primary-grade children. Kim LaFave’s signature illustrations make
them especially appealing. Recommended.